Energy

Iraq takes action on illicit oil schemes

U.S. designation of a key oil sector logistics provider highlights sanctions risks, prompting Iraqi measures to combat corruption in fuel trading.

Iraqi Navy vessels take part in operations to combat illicit oil sales in August 2025. (Photo credit: GCPI)

Aug 12, 2008

Iraqi tecnical services contracts stalled

Oil negotiations between a handful of foreign companies and the government here appear stalled, setting back once again efforts to open up Iraqi oil fields to international companies, writes Gina Chon for The Wall Street Journal. Oil Ministry officials had said they hoped to sign contracts by the end of June. That deadline came and […]

Aug 10, 2008

Iraq resumes oil exploration

Iraq said it was resuming exploration of its immense oil reserves after a break of nearly 20 years due to crippling UN sanctions, saying it hopes to double its proven deposits of crude. "Today the Iraqi oil ministry celebrates a return to work by Iraqi oil exploration teams after 20 years of interruption," ministry spokesman […]

Aug 7, 2008

Iraq oil refineries eye upgrades as exports slip

Iraq's Cabinet has approved a multimillion dollar contract to upgrade an oil refinery in southern Iraq, The Associated Press reported. The $81-million contract will be awarded jointly to the U.S.-based Colorado Industrial Construction Services Co. (CICSCO) and CH2M HILL's affiliate VECO Co. for the production of gasoline from the Samawah refinery, according to the official, […]

Jul 31, 2008

Iraqi oil production peaks

Iraqi oil production has risen to its highest level since the 2003 invasion on the back of improved security across the country, according to a new US government report. Iraq pumped an average of 2.43m bpd between April and June, according to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, writes Demetri Sevastopulo for The Financial […]

Jul 24, 2008

Firms line up for Iraqi oil, but outlook murky

An oil refinery in the once restive and violent city of Haditha is working once again. The reopening ceremony was attended by Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani who thanked the people of the Province of Anbar, of which Haditha is a major town, for their efforts to restore relative stability. The refinery was shut due to […]

Jul 22, 2008

Kirkuk oil exports resume following debt payment to Turkey

Turkey restarted loadings of halted Iraqi oil exports on Tuesday after Iraq paid $50 million of a total $100 million debt, a senior source from the state pipeline company Botas told Reuters. An Iraq oil ministry official had said earlier Iraq's Kirkuk oil exports to Turkey had been halted after a Turkish court ordered the […]

Jul 20, 2008

Refinery back up in Iraq’s Anbar province, yet oil is “finished”

"Iraq has many underexplored and underexploited fields, but who can tell what's going to be happening with Iraq?" said Paul Sullivan, economics professor at the National Defence University in Washington, DC. The remark was made in a recent discussion on energy, security and development at the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan. […]

Jul 17, 2008

Iraq limits no-bid oil contracts to one year

The Iraqi government is planning to limit no-bid contracts being negotiated with several major oil companies to one year to avoid overlap with longer-term deals expected to be signed next June, the Associated Press reported. The no-bid contracts have sparked controversy because several major Western firms have been involved in the discussions. There are concerns […]

Jul 10, 2008

Iraqi oil ministry schedules major energy conference

Reuters reported that the Iraqi Oil Ministry said the country will hold a major oil and gas conference in October to allow foreign oil firms to get a better understanding of the country's energy potential. The Oct 17-19 energy conference and exhibition will be the first event of its type in Iraq since the U.S.-led […]

Jul 8, 2008

Chomsky speaks on Iraqi oil

The deal just taking shape between Iraq's Oil Ministry and four Western oil companies raises critical questions about the nature of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq — questions that should certainly be addressed by presidential candidates and seriously discussed in the United States, and of course in occupied Iraq, where it appears that […]